Donnell wallam : winning goal | parents | what did say

A lay-up goal by the Australian Diamonds debutant Donnell Wallam in the dying seconds secured a thrilling 55-54 victory over England.

Donnell wallam : winning goal | parents | what did say

Donnell Wallam is an Australian netball player for the Queensland Firebirds.

In October 2022, Wallam became the third indigenous netballer to represent the Australian Diamonds following Marcia Ella and Sharon Finnan.

In 2019, her first year in the Western Australia Netball League playing for West Coast Warriors, she won the Jill McIntosh Medal and the League Player’s Player of the Year.

Donnell wallam winning goal 

On Wednesday night, the 28-year-old athlete had her first say since being embroiled in a $15 million dollar sponsorship drama – letting her netball do the talking.

Donnell Wallam seals dream debut with winning goal against England Roses, 55-54.

It’s been an intense couple of weeks in the spotlight, seeing Wallam cop a wave of criticism for her so-called “ungrateful” and “woke” decision to opt out of wearing a Hancock Prospecting logo on her national playing dress.

But four days after Gina Rinehart announced she was withdrawing her investment in netball, and four years after Wallam was first discovered in the West Australian pathways, the rookie shooter from Harvey showed the class behind her meteoric rise to the top.

In a game-changing moment that has been labelled by key figures within the game as “one of the most important goals scored” in the history of the sport, Wallam slotted the winning goal on the same night she became the first Indigenous player to represent the Diamonds in 22 years.

Despite being named in the game-day squad for the first match of the Australia vs England Test series, there were no guarantees Wallam would make it onto the court in Newcastle, as she’d been assigned a spot on the bench.

Parents 

Her family, parents details are not available anywhere. 

Her outstanding preseason performance against Courtney Bruce in 2020 cemented her as an exciting talent with plenty to offer.

Despite just taking up netball a few years ago, Wallam is a seasoned prospect whose ability to shoot with both volume and precision highlights her match-winning tendencies and stellar progress. 

What did say 

Wallam let out an almighty roar in celebration as she was mobbed by her Diamonds teammates and embraced by the England Roses, who sensed the magnitude of the occasion.

She became Diamond No. 189 and just the third indigenous netballer to play for the Diamonds after Sharon Finnan-White and Marcia Ella-Duncan.

“I was kind of relieved to get my chance on court,” Wallam told Fox Netball after the game.

“It’s been the toughest few weeks of my life so to finally get out there and play in this dress was really special. It kind of makes the last couple of weeks feel like a bit of a blur.”

The 28-year-old teared up in a post-match interview as she admitted how much of a toll the past few weeks have taken on her.

“Just the outside noise,” an emotional Wallam said when asked of the most difficult part of becoming the face of netball’s sponsorship saga that centre led to Hancock Prospecting pulling its $15 million partnership.

“Thanks so much to everybody for the support, all the kind messages I’ve been getting. It hasn’t gone unnoticed and it’s really helped me in these last couple of weeks.”

Wallam thanked her Diamonds teammates for their support and said she was delighted to be the third indigenous player to represent Australia.

“It’s really special and I just hope I’m now a role model to the young boys and girls coming through for their turn,” she said.

“I had Marcia Ella-Duncan present me the dress. It’s just really special and it’s been a long time coming. I hope I make everyone proud out there. Every single one of the team members, the staff, has just been amazing.